Medical Malpractice Defendant Convicted In Insurance Fraud Scheme

An Ohio cardiologist who was the target of several medical malpractice lawsuits was convicted of performing unnecessary surgical procedures and overbilling Medicare and other insurers. A Cleveland jury convicted Dr. Harry Persaud of 13 counts of making false medical statements, as well as at least one count of health-care fraud and money laundering. The unnecessary procedures also made the surgeon the target of numerous medical malpractice lawsuits from his patients.

Details of the Medical Malpractice Doctor Trial

The jury heard testimony on Dr. Persaud’s actions, including statements from patients who had sued him for medical malpractice. Medical records revealed that the surgeon performed several dozen operations. These procedures included stent insertions, catherizations, and coronary bypass surgeries. Prosecutors claim that the doctor ordered these surgeries, as well as the accompanying tests, to make up for income he had lost in his private practice. The money laundering charge arose when prosecutors learned that the doctor moved $250,000 from his personal account to his wife’s account while he was under investigation for medical malpractice.

Unneeded Procedures Prompt Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Later tests revealed that many of Dr. Persaud’s operations were unnecessary. These surgeries prompted patients to purse medical malpractice lawsuits against him. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Collyer told the jury that, whlie Dr. Persaud was working at St. John Medical Center in Cleveland, he would find patients who had already been admitted to the hospital and transfer them to his private office. At his office, he would have tests performed and billed to the patient’s insurance provider.

Prosecutors: Medical Malpractice Doctor “Greedy”

Federal prosecutors alleged that Dr. Persaud made over $1.6 million in profits from his insurance fraud scheme. When patients learned of the unwarranted surgeries and tests, many of them filed their own medical malpractice complaints. In his closing arguments, Mr. Collyer told the jury that Dr. Persaud was “preying on (patients) in order to make money.” After the jury announced the guilty verdict, U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach told reporters that the medical malpractice doctor was “a greedy person who only thought of himself.”

Medical Malpractice Doctor Faces Penalties, Lawsuits

The verdict leaves Dr. Persaud in a vulnerable situation. The conviction of insurance fraud may well help the cases of the medical malpractice victims who were under his care. The doctor could face a combined total of medical malpractice judgments of $1 million or more. Prosecutors also want to seize more than $340,000 in bank accounts held by the doctor and his wife. Dr. Persaud remains free on bond until his sentencing hearing in December.

Source: Cleveland.com

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